kitchen therapy

A day in the kitchen began early.  The pears were peeled and sliced by 7 am.  Tonight is a test drive for my contribution to Thanksgiving desert: pear pie.  I'm making mine with spice bush berries, native ginger, and acorn starch.  Think anyone will notice?

Next I opened the Everclear and began my first ever experiment with bitters.  Motivated by Sara, I took my cue from Marie's bitters article, starting with cornelian cherries then veering off into my backyard: spicebush berries, native ginger, sassafras twig, and bayberry.

Before the clock struck 9, I pulled 10 half pints of blackberry-chipotle jelly out of the boiling water bath.  I'd originally planned 4 cups of berries for jelly and 4 cups for blackberry rum.  Alas, twas not to be.  The recipe turned out to be SO chipotle heavy that no hint of berry remained.  So I doubled the fruit and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Time for breakfast.